Even for Marvel Studios, which has become the film industry’s 800-pound gorilla in the past decade, the release of Black Panther in 2018 was something special. There was a palpable feeling when the film hit theaters. Almost like in the aftermath of an election. A national sigh of relief that after a century of degrading stereotypes, token characters, and underrepresentation in film and television, Hollywood finally invested in a massive blockbuster with a predominantly African American cast and crew. They even threw in a couple of token white characters played by Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis.
With a budget of $200 million, Black Panther was backed by the kind of money that, before, had been exclusively reserved for films with predominantly white casts and crews; franchises like Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, and even the MCU’s Avengers. That investment paid off big time. Black Panther grossed $1.3 billion and received universal praise from film critics, a rarity among comic book adaptations. Most importantly, Black Panther proved the assumption long-held by Hollywood executives and producers, “audiences aren’t interested in Black movies,” incorrect.
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In many ways, Black Panther was more than just a successful film. It was a bona fide pop culture phenomenon, like the 1977 release of the original Star Wars film on a slightly smaller scale.
Then the cultural elation from Black Panther came crashing down when it was announced in August 2020 that, only two years after the film’s release, its star Chadwick Boseman had died at 43 due to colon cancer. The announcement led to a widespread outpouring of grief and shock at the untimely death of the actor who received acclaim (along with the entire Panther cast) for his portrayal of King T’Challa. And it put a pause on pre-production for the sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Director Ryan Coogler Rewrote His Initial Script For Wakanda Forever
Marvel Studios
Among the bereaved was Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, who might direct Avengers: Secret Wars. After learning of Chadwick Boseman’s passing, Coogler almost quit filmmaking altogether. Forget about the sequel script he had already begun writing with lines of dialogue for T’Challa that Boseman would never say.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Coogler said:
Fortunately for fans of Black Panther, Coogler ultimately decided to return to his work on the sequel. But he knew it wouldn’t be the same film that he had originally set out to make. It couldn’t be, as Coogler and Kevin Feige were not interested in resurrecting Boseman’s likeness with CGI as LucasFilm had with Carrie Fisher in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) and Peter Cushing in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).
Not only did Coogler elect to respect Boseman by not bringing his on-screen ghost back to life with modern technology, but he also chose to fully embrace the late actor’s absence and “channel” Boseman instead. And if the official trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is any indication, it looks like Coogler has succeeded in channeling Boseman. By allowing the shadow of the King T’Challa character to loom over the fictional characters just like Chadwick Boseman’s shadow loomed over the real-life cast, Coogler appears to have written an even more compelling story and, hopefully, directed an even better film than the first Black Panther.
It is easy these days to feel jaded by Oscar-baiting one-liners in movie trailers designed to grab your attention, as well as the Academy’s. But only the most hardened viewers can deny the grief radiating from Angela Basset’s performance (as Ramonda in the film) when she says in the official trailer, “I am Queen of the most powerful nation in the world! And my entire family is gone! Have I not given everything?”
Clearly, the weight of Boseman’s loss has strengthened all the central performances in Wakanda Forever. And how could it not? Speaking to EW, Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore said:
Black Panther’s Female Characters Have Become Central to Wakanda Forever
The phrase, “necessity is the mother of invention” is often thrown around by filmmakers to describe how limited resources and time during production can force them into making creative decisions that wind up making a shot, scene, or even an entire film better than it would have been if they had more time and a larger budget. It appears that Coogler and the entire cast have bottled up all the real-life pain they felt from the terrible loss of the star of Black Panther and unleashed it into Wakanda Forever. They have turned a crutch into a source of strength.
A great deal of this strength lies in the female performances, which have become central in the sequel. Speaking on the subject of the female-centric story at a press event for the film, which Screen Rant reported on, producer Nate Moore said:
No doubt, Coogler’s initial concept for a Black Panther sequel, which would have starred Chadwick Boseman, would have been every bit as action-packed and epic as the first film. Probably more so. But it is difficult to imagine how that unmade sequel could possibly have carried the emotional weight from such a deep and real-life loss that Wakanda Forever carries.
To weigh the sequel against the first film and to honor Chadwick Boseman’s film legacy, come and see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in cinemas this November 11th.
